Supporting and driving attachment for tractor-operated corn harvesters



April 22,1930. w. R; 'STANFIELD 1 V1,755,524 I SUPPORTING AND DRIVING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTOR OPERATED CORN HARVESTERS Filed May 3l. 1927 50 the ordinary construction. Each of the axles supported on the housing i4 opposite the i Patented Apr. 22, 193e t l 1,755,524

UNlTEDsTAT-Es PATENT oFFicE WILLIAM It.` STANFIELD, OF UNION, IOWA SUPPORTING AND DRIVING ATTACHMENT For. TRAcToRorERATED CORN AIIAIWnsTFIas Application filed .ltIaySl,l 1927. Serial No. 195,425.

The object of my invention is to provide 15 is provided with a tractor wheell'? also of a simple, durable and inexpensive device the ordinary construction. whereby a harvester mechanism may be oper- In applying my improvedvdevice, I remove ated adjacent to one side of a tractor in such one of the tractor wheels 17, preferably the a manner that the harvester mechanism may right hand wheel, and support the difieren# 55 be advanced over the ground surface by tial housing by a jack or suitable means. An power derived from the traction 4wheels of auxiliary axle housing 18 is provided, which the tractor, and whereby the power for operis hollow and of conical formation, having ating the harvester mechanism may be deits-smaller end provided with a bearing 19.

rived directly from the power shaft of tlie- The housing 18 is of such diameter as to be 60 tractor. The parts are so constructed and readily slipped over the housing 14 of the arranged that the tractor and harvester mechaxle 15.from which the wheel 17 has been ,anism may be advanced over the ground surremoved. The enlarged end of the housing face in unison without causingside draft to 18 has outwardly extending lugs 20 designed 15 the tractor, as ordinarily results when such to be supported againsty the flange of the 65 a mechanism is advanced over the ground surhousing 14, in the manner clearly illustrated face adjacent to one side of .the tractorand in Figure 3. A number of bolts 21, for seoperatively connected therewith. curing the housing 14 in position on the dif- More specifically it is the object of my inferential housing 13, are removed. The lugs 2orvention to provide a device in the nature of 20 are supported against the flange fof the 70 an attachment which maybe easily and quicki housing 14 at points Where the bolts have ly applied to the tractor frame, and when so been removed, said lugs being provided applied is adapted to support and operate a with openings which aline with the openings harvester mechanism such as a corn picker of said housing, after which longer bolts My invention consists in the construction, 22 may be substituted for the bolts 21, 75 arrangement and combination of theA various thereby providing means for rigidly securing parts of the device, whereby the objects conthe housing 18 into position so that the beartemplated are attained, as hereinafter more ing 19 will aline with the axle 15. fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and The housing 14 is also provided with anan-v 3 illustrated in the accompanying drawings, nulai member 23 formed of two sections 80 in which; bolted together, .and designed to engage an v Figure 1 is a plan view of a tractor showlmflfdly extending rib 24 ofthe housing -18, ing my improved device applied thereto. Whlch PI'OVd-es mea-DS for rlgldly SUPPOItmg Figure 2 is aside elevation of the sama. the outer end of the axle housing 14 relative to Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of he holllslg lengt-il; gf the llusmgt 85 the auxiliary axle housing used in connecting 1s suc t at. e 1S ance e Ween e een er A of the housing 13 and the outer end of the mdimproe devc .1 t. 1 t k vhousing 18 is substantially equal to one and lgmie ,1S a e all Sec lona Vlew a' en one-half times the distance between two ad- 40 on the line 4-4 of Figure 1. acent rows of com' A Figulie- 5 is a detail sectional 9W taken l The bearing 19 is provided with an auxil- On the 11n@ 5 5 of Flgur? 3- iary axle 25 coupled to the outer end of the The numeral 1 0 indicates the tractor axle 15105, means of a coupling 26, so that frame Supported by fl from? axle 11 and front the axles 15 and 25 will be operated in unison.

wheels 12. The rear end of the tractor frame The Wheel 18 that has been removed is 95 -s provided with a difercntialhousina 13 and mounted on the outer end of the axle 25. 'A axle housings 14. The housings 14 have trussrod 27 is provided which is supported axles 15 driven from the differential 16 withadjacent to the under side of the housing in the housing 13, said differential being of 13having one end connected to a collar 28 one on which the housing 18 is mounted. The other end of the truss rod 27 is anchored in a downwardly extending lug 29 from the lower side of the housing 18. Suitable nuts 30 are provided for applying the proper tension to the rod 27 in the usual manner. The

-upper side of the housing 18 is provided with upwardly extending lugs 31 and 32 designed to receive a shaft or rod 33. Frame members 34v are pivotally mounted on the shaft 33. The said frame members 34 are formed substantially triangular and supported in upright planes, and spaced apart in the manner clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

The said frame members 34 are provided with forwardly extending portions 35 for supporting Gathering boards 36 of the corn harvester. iI`he frame members 34 are also desi ned to support the snapping rollers 37,

the usking rollers 38 and the conveyor 39,.

which are of theordinary construction. The frame members 34 aredesigned to be supported in a planey parallel with the tractorl frame, with the inner frame member outside of the front wheel 11, as illustrated in 'Figure 5. The forward ends of the frame members 34 are su portedv by means of an inverted U-shaped Ihar 40, having one end connected to the axle 11 and its other end connected to the inner one of the frame members 34, in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 4.

The frame members 34 are provided with bearings 41 for receiving a shaft 42^-in alinement with the power shaft 43 of a tractor. f-

.The shafts 42 and 43 are connected by a short shaft 44 and universal joints 45. The

and 48, the pulleys 46 and 49 and the belt 50,

while the mechanism is carried principally by the auxiliary axle housing 18, said housing j bein of such length that the tractor may stra dle one row that has already been operated upon while the harvesting mechanism is operating. onan adjacent row.

I am vwell aware that harvesting mechanisms have been-placed to one side of a tractor and operated'by power derived from the tractor, and advanced over the ground 'sur-v ace by power derived from the gli-'tractor wheels. f Great diiliculty has been experienced heretofore in couplingup such a device with a tractor, on' account of the sideA draft that is thereby created, as the weight of the harvesting mechanism amounts to considerable.

mechanism in such a manner as to cause the' harvesting device to follow the row being operated upon. This is especially true when the mechanism is operated on side hills. By providing the auxiliary housing 18 and supporting the harvesting mechanism thereon, I have provided means whereby each of the tractor wheels will operate substantially mid way between two adjacent rows of corn. By driving both of said wheels from a common differential, I have provided means whereby the side draft of the tractor will be practically eliminated. It will readily be seen that the torque applied to each'of the traction wheels will be equal, and for that reason the general line of advance of the tractor will be in a straight path. The weight on each of the tractor wheels is substantially equally divided, and the weight of the tractor being carried by one of the wheels and the weight of the harvesting mechanism carried by the other. The frame members 34 are mounted on the auxiliary housing 18 in such a manner as to be substantially balanced. The husking rollers 38 are mounted back of the vertical line extending through the axle, while the snapping rollers are mounted ahead off the said vertical line. In addition to the snappingrollers 38, elevating conveyors and the like are also mounted, which are not illustrated in the drawings but are of the ordi-v nary construction. l

The frame members 34 are of such length as to terminate near the forward side of the wheels.l 12, so that the front axle 11 provides means for gauging the depth of the front ends of the frame members, so that the forward end of the gathering mechanism will automatically follow the contour of the groundsurface.

It will further be seen that very simple means is provided for imparting movement to the harvester mechanism, power being de-v rivedv from the power shaft already installed on the tractor, and which may be operated independently of the advance of the tractor.'

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a tractor having an axle housing, an axle for said housing, an auxil' iary housing surrounding the axle housing of a length considerably longer than the length of the axle housing, an auxiliary axle carried in said auxiliary housing, means for coupling said auxiliary axle .with the tractor axle, and a harvester" frame supported adjacent to one vside of said tractor and carried by said auxiliary housing.

2. In combination, a tractor having an axle',

housing, an axle for said housing, a power shaft, an auxiliary housing surrounding said axle housing and of a length considerably longer than said axle housing, an auxiliary axle for said auxiliary axle housing, means for coupling said auxiliary axle to said axle, aliarvester frame supported adjacent to one side of said'tractor and carried by said auxiliary housing, mechanism -carried by said harvester frame for operating harvester mechanism, and means for 4operatively connecting thelast said mechanism with said power shaft.

3. In combination, a tractor havin a differential housing and axlehousings, ifl'erentialA gears within said differential housing, axles operatively connected with said differential, a traction wheel for one of said axles, an auxiliary axle housing, an auxiliary axle carried by said auxiliary axle housing, means for coupling said auxiliary. axle to one of said axles, a tractor wheel for said auxiliary axle, and a harvester frame supported between the last said tractor wheel and -the said tractorand carried by said auxiliary housing.

4. In combination, a tractor having a power shaft, axle housings, and differential gears,

axles operatively connected with said diferential, a traction wheel for one of said axles, an auxiliary axle housing, an auxiliary axle carried by said auxiliary axle housing, means for coupling said auxiliary axle to one of said axles, a tractor wheel for saidA auxiliary axle, a harvester frame supported between the last said tractor wheel and the said tractor and carried by said auxiliary housing, and means carried by said harvester frame for operating a harvesting mechanism, the last said means being operatively connected with said power shaft.

5. In combination, a tractor having afront axle and rear axles, traction wheels for said rear axles, a harvester frame supported on one of the rear axles between the traction wheel of said axle and the tractor frame, said harvester frame extending forwardly and adjacent to one end of said front axle, and means carried by said .front axle for supporting the forward end of said harvester frame.

6. In a device of the class described, a hollov:r conical shaped axle housing, an auxiliary shaft supported in said housing, means for coupling thevinner end of said auxiliary shaft with one end of a tractor axle, means for securing said housing to the axle housing of a tractor, a harvester frame supported transversel above said axle housing, means for pivotal y connecting said auxiliary framev with said housing, and means for supporting one end of said harvester .frame from the -front axle of a tractor. v

i?, In combination, a differential housing,

axlehcusings projecting laterally from said diiierential housing, bolts for securing said.

axle housings to said differential housings,

. an auxiliary axle housing supported adjacent to one of said axle housings, means for connecting one end of said auxiliary housing negcting the outer end of said axlehousing toisaid auxiliary housing, an axle for said axle housing, an auxiliary axle for said auxiliary housing, `means for connecting said axle and said auxiliary axle together and in alinement, and a harvester frame pivotally connected -to said auxiliary housing.

8.- In combination, a tractor having a front axle and rear axles, tractor wheels for said rear axles, a harvester frame supported on one of the rear axles between the tractor wheel of said axle and the tractor frame, said harvester frame extending forwardly and adjacent to one end of said front axle, an inverted U-shaped frame member having one ofits legs supported on one end of the fronty the Wheels of said front axle within said U- shaped frame. v

Des Moines, Iowa, May 12,192.7.

WILLIAM R. STA/NFIELD.

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